Miku in the Shinju Forest
by Faylicia
Summary: The Shinju forest is a place where nothing is what is seems to be. Nothing is normal, everything is bizarre. Filled with fantasy elements and musical training Miku's everyday life mainly revolves around one single person; Luka. But when she gets paired up with her mysterious events and secrets begin to come to the surface... literally. (Miku x Luka, yuri)
1. Miku at School

It was a spring morning; Miku was waiting in the bus station as she would have done every morning… before school was over. Exactly it was the first day of school, Miku's second year of high school was about to start and her school days were becoming less and less as the time passed by. But that was how life was supposed to be. When something ends, absolutely always something new starts, even if we can't see what that is. Miku was a cheerful girl, a bit persistent, kind of bizarre… and the Shinju forest was the perfect place to reflect that because as you can probably see, the Shinju forest isn't a normal one for that matter neither the world where Miku lives is. It's not very certain whether she used to live in a normal world before she came to this one or if she just was born there, the case is that now Miku lived in an enchanted forest, an enchanted world. But she still remembers how her life used to be before she moved to the Shinju Forest. She moved there last year, she took the steam train and… hoop! She arrived to the forest, a place where nothing seemed normal and that's why she loved it. The sakura petals flew in the wind but the pollen was sure to cause many allergies. That's how things are, when something good happens then something bad is bound to happen as well… That's why there is nothing completely bad or completely good, it's just up to us to name it. Everything is subjective. That's how Miku saw it.

"But hey… isn't the bus going to come?" She suddenly thought and glanced at her phone to see the time. Ten minutes had already passed since she started making those thoughts! And the bus had yet to come! Maybe she had confused the time, no, no, that was probably not the case. Every time Miku starts complaining in her mind about the bus being late, it comes, and so did this time too, as if she could use telepathy to lure it. Before she even knew it, it was in front of her. The bus had a steampunk design as many other devices in that world. She always greeted the driver, a quiet man called Macareno.

"Good morning." She said a bit nervously. A long time had passed since she last saw him after all. Miku was one of the first people the bus took and when she got there it was always infested with gnomes. The gnomes would get down in one of the stations that was around twenty minutes away from her home. The school was one hour away. Anyway, today was a special day. She would be seeing Luka. Luka was an upperclassman but she wasn't Miku's friend or anything like that. She was just the person she had a crush on. Of course that was a secret. Well, some people knew it and maybe some others had found out as well… maybe even Luka knew it, but it was still a secret, because Miku had never confessed it. "That's it." She thought proudly.

Miku always loved watching the scenery through the window as she was in the bus. She always liked that slight adrenaline she felt when she was on it. The forest was dense but the run rays could still get inside and form beautiful shapes in the ground along with the tree leaves. There were also some buildings here and there inside the forest. They weren't really tall and they seemed kind of neglected or maybe just old, but Miku knew that people actually lived there, well maybe the creatures that lived there weren't people but still… someone lived there! The road was always that classy stone road and not an asphalt road. Well there wasn't any need for one as the bus flew a few centimeters above the ground. There were also swamps in their way to school, they always looked mysterious but Miku was never able to actually visit one.

She got down from the bus and… that was her school! Or rather academy as everyone called it in that world. The academy was a wooden building surrounded by large trees and mushrooms and moss. Well the moss wasn't that much, but Miku could still see it because she always focused on the details. Luka was nowhere to be seen. She came with another bus so there was no helping it. She was probably in the hallway, the one with the red mat, the other one was upstairs and it didn't have any mat.

"Miku, Miku, Miku!" Gumi greeted her.

"Hello." Miku smiled.

"Did you try the new forest noodles?" Gumi asked excited.

"There's a new version?!" Miku asked surprised.

"Yes! And they used fairy powder too! Can you believe it?" Gumi asserted cheerfully.

"I see… I'll have to try them someday!" Miku decided.

"Oh, did you see Luka-san anywhere?" Gumi asked as she looked around.

"What do you mean…? You didn't see her? She in the same bus as you, isn't she?" Miku asked afraid.

"No, _I_ did see her, I'm just asking if _you_ saw her?" Gumi explained calmly.

"Oh umm… no…" Miku said thoughtfully. "Gumi…" She suddenly called her.

"Hm?" Gumi looked back at her.

"Many people are breaking up lately… Two couples broke up and with Luka-san that makes three…" Miku said.

"Yes, there is this new fashion, of "I don't love you after all, it was a mistake" kind of thing." Gumi replied. "But wasn't Luka-san the one to start it?"

"Umm… I think so… but we shouldn't talk much about it, it seems like gossiping and I don't like it…" Miku said guiltily.

"You don't feel that way when we talk about it outside school though…" Gumi stated.

"That's because… We just talk about Luka-san and umm… not other people…" Miku tried to explain.

"So we are gossiping about Luka-san?" Gumi asked surprised. "You never even say anything bad about her." She smiled. Miku pouted and looked down.

"I don't have anything bad to say about her…" She affirmed

"Well you better be careful with her… it's said that she spends lots of time with werewolves…" Gumi warned her.

"I don't see what's so wrong with that…" Miku said puzzled.

"Well just be careful, okay?"

"Oh… that's Luka-san?" Miku suddenly said when she saw her some meters away. She was just passing by and was about to get in the building. Her pink hair waved in the wind. Her gaze was uncomfortably enchanting and her white tunic… "Why is she wearing a white tunic?" Miku thought confused.

Miku lived in the tall mountains, somewhere inside a castle and her parents weren't there. They still lived where she used to live before moving. The Shinju forest began in those tall mountains and spread through the land until her academy. It was a music academy that trained young people in the art of music which was Miku's big passion. This year was special; a new teaching method would be used. Third year students would pair up with a second years students on an expedition. Of course, Miku wanted to be paired up with Luka. She had some possibilities actually, because Luka didn't really know anyone of her class very well but she had instead talked with Miku a few times. "But still… I might just be making things up in my mind…" The girl sighed. The first period had finished. Luka was in the hallway as always, she wasn't wearing that tunic anymore. She was eating a tuna sandwich. Miku knew that Luka loved tuna even though she had never told her. "Ah, I wish I could be in her embrace…" Miku thought as she glanced at her.

"That's how it is. Please find your pairs during the next break." The teacher announced in class. It was about the new project. Miku wanted to ask Luka if she would like to pair up with her but she was very embarrassed. In any case, there wasn't anyone else she knew very well in the third grade rather than her, so it wouldn't be strange to ask her. But just imagining how she would start blushing she got too anxious to do anything. However when she went to order her food Luka approached her and sat next to her.

"Miku-san, right?" She asked.

"Umm… yes…" Miku replied embarrassed.

"Would you like to pair up with me in the project?" Luka asked bluntly.

Miku turned to look at Luka enthusiastically. "Yes, I would!" She answered cheerfully.

"Okay, it's settled then." Luka affirmed with a cold tone and left. Miku stared at her hands. It was not a dream, it was really not dream. She would pair up with Luka. That meant that she would get to stay in the same place as Luka too! And she would eat with Luka! Work with Luka! She was so excited that she wasn't able to get any proper sleep that night… because the next day….


	2. Miku in the Project

"Listen, for this project you will deal with possession. You already know the basics," the teacher declared.

"Meiko-sensei! What instruments can we use?" Miku raised her hand and asked.

"You will have to be able to find the adequate instrument to possess each creature. And remember to always listen to your senpai." Meiko explained.

"Yes!" All the students said as a whole.

Possession was a powerful spell only musicians could cast on different creatures that resembled animals. In order to do so they had to play a melody, but it didn't always work. Sometimes the creature wouldn't be lured by the music and some other times the musician's melody would make it do things he actually didn't want it to do. That was Miku's specialty. She had made countless of creatures run after her once because she played a piece that made them aggressive.

Miku was very excited but she would have to wait until a letter with the instructions arrived in their mail box. Each group had a different mail box that was placed in the school yard, which was basically a forest. Miku had to go and check it with Luka at some point.

"What will you get for lunch today Miku?" Gumi asked as she stared at the variety of foods available in the cafeteria of the academy.

"Umm… I'll have a shrimp sandwich…" Miku said thoughtfully after looking at all the foods.

"Eh? Just that?" Gumi asked surprised.

"Well, I'm not so hungry… and I also have a bento…" Miku explained.

"What are you talking about, girls?" Kaito asked as he sat beside them.

"About how Miku doesn't eat much…" Gumi stated after gulping. Kaito giggled.

"What's wrong with you Miku?" He asked with a smile.

"Umm… It's just that my stomach isn't feeling so well and I feel this electricity…" Miku said embarrassed.

"Oh… umm… do you have a date and you are nervous?" Kaito guessed.

"N… not exactly…" She smiled uncomfortably.

"Miku is nervous about her project…" Gumi explained bluntly.

"Are you that nervous?" Kaito asked puzzled.

"You could say that…" Miku answered unsure.

"Hatsune Miku," Luka intoned as she approached them. "I was just informed that we will need to move to the true house in the forest and wait until our mail arrives there," She said bluntly. Miku's face immediately lightened but then she looked at Luka confused.

"Why… do we need to go there?" She asked.

"I don't know, but it's probably related to the mission of our project," Luka explained. "Many other pairs will go to other places…"

"Oh I see…"

"Tomorrow I'll be waiting for you there," Luka declared.

"Wait… How will I get there?" The girl asked confused.

"Ah…" Luka looked away coldly. Miku gave her a frightened look. "Just take the bus and stop there, simple as that. Tell the driver," Luka instructed her with a dull expression.

"O… okay…" Miku replied. "Thank you." She said shyly.

-o-o-o-

Miku woke up in her room, completely alone as always. She opened her curtains and gazed at the scenery from the tall castle. It was surely beautiful but she hardy knew what mysteries and secrets it could hide. She made breakfast, cereals with dry berries. The bus was about to arrive so she went downstairs as fast as she could before she missed it. She didn't want to think what would happen in that case. Finally, she entered the bus. Of course, today she would be going to the tree house instead of school so the driver was a completely different person she didn't know about. She showed him her student card and when she was to seat in one of the seats she realized that Luka was also inside the bus.

"Hey," Luka said when Miku sat next to her.

"Hello, Luka-senpai," Miku smiled cheerfully.

"You seem very happy," Luka remarked and it almost seemed as though she was complaining. It truth, she was quite grumpy, but that's… something Miku liked about her.

"I've always wanted to stay in a tree house!" Miku exclaimed, looking at Luka, her eyes sparkling.

"This is not a grade school outdoor excursion." Luka argued and Miku looked down disappointed.

"But… even if that's so, there's no hurt if you enjoy a mission while you are doing it." Miku gave a frown smile.

"You need to focus, Hatsune Miku," Luka asserted. Miku wondered why she had begun calling her by her full name, but she didn't really give it much thought as they were already in front of the tree house and had to get down. It was a huge tree with many curves. The stairs cracked as they went up. Miku looked at the room, everything seemed comfortable. There was a huge window at the back from where you could see the vast forest and it had translucent curtains. Two aligned beds were placed facing the window. There was also a small table between the two beds. However the most important part was that the ceiling resembled that of an attic thus making the room quite small. Luka headed to the bookcase and examined it carefully while Miku just placed her suitcase on the scarlet carpet that lay on the floor. Luka grabbed a book and began reading.

"Luka-senpai…" Miku began.

"What do you want?"

"N… no nothing… sorry…" Miku looked away sad. There wasn't anything she could do with Luka even though she was with her.

-o-o-o-

The next day Luka woke up and went downstairs to check the mailbox. She opened it and took the letter out. She opened the seal and read it. Soon, she saw Miku coming closer. She had gone on a walk to the forest.

"Hatsune Miku, look," She declared as she showed the letter to Miku.

"Centipede?" Miku said confused after reading. The letter instructed them to possess the giant centipede in the swamp that was located nearby. Miku looked at it terrified.

"I hope you can work correctly," Luka commented as she went upstairs.

-o-o-o-

Miku followed Luka silently through the forest as she carried her violin. She looked around apprehensively. The truth was that she hated bugs. If she had to deal with a giant one she would probably feel nausea or faint. Luka would be disappointed, she would surely be, but what could Miku do in such a situation?

"It's here," Luka declared and stopped in front of the swamp. Then she took her flute out of its case and began playing it in front of the waters. Miku watched her scared for some seconds and then she took the violin in her trembling hands. Soon enough the centipede jumped out of the water and splashed Luka's clothes with mud. She didn't stop playing and nor did Miku. However her melody wasn't calm enough and the bug started attacking them quickly. Firstly, it tried to knock Luka off but she avoided it by jumping to one side. Miku backed off as fast as she could. Luka glared at her and played a magical melody that made a translucent shield appear in front of them. Of course, the centipede was strong so it went on the opposite direction and by avoiding the trees it ended up behind them, more accurately behind Miku.

"Stop!" Luka warned her and Miku looked back at her. The bug didn't really seem to be in a positive condition. Luka took Miku's hand and fled from the place as fast as she could. "We have to find a good plan," she said panting when they found a shelter.

"What kind of plan?" Miku asked.

"After examining its reactions I have come to the conclusion that we will need a harp, but not any harp. It has to be the legendary harp of the Mystical Sea…" Luka asserted.

"Wait… how did you know that?" Miku asked confused.

"Well, it's something in my area of expertise. The easiest way to lure bugs are harps and violins… but there are some bugs that need legendary instruments. This is because they are older than one century." Luka explained.

"Oh… so now we have to go to that Mystical Sea… right?" Miku asked a bit worried.

"Yes, we have to dive in the sea and retrieve the treasure. There is some kind of submerged labyrinth there. We have to be careful because you can get easily lost…" Luka looked at Miku with a serious expression.

"It sounds fine to me!" Miku replied trying to seem tough.


	3. Miku at the Restaurant

"…uk-senpai!"

"Luka-senpai!"

Luka opened her eyes slowly just to see Miku's worried face and then quickly closed them again. She lay on the bench, in the school hallway, next to Miku.

"What happened to her?" Kaito who was also sitting in the bench asked surprised.

Miku sighed. "It's a long story… It all began when…"

-o-o-o-

"Hatsune Miku! We are going to dive! Are you prepared?"

"Y… yes!" Miku tried to show determination.

It was a foggy afternoon and Miku had come to the Mystical Sea with Luka in order to retrieve the legendary harp. They rode a boat until they were in the middle of the sea, next to a small deserted island. Luka dived without thinking about it too much but Miku was frozen. The sea water was so cold. She followed Luka until they reached a small cave… somewhere in there… they were able to find the harp but as soon as Luka touched it she fell asleep and didn't wake up until the night. Opening her eyelids when there was light was painful and small fish scales were growing in random parts of her body.

-o-o-o-

"So that's how it is…" Miku explained. Luka had her white cape on and she covered her face with the hood.

"Miku? What happened to Luka-senpai?" Gumi asked surprised when she passed by. Once they explained the situation to her Gumi just sat and looked at Luka with her mouth wide open. "That's… so weird…" She finally said.

"It is… umm… but-" a noise of glass breaking suddenly interrupted Miku.

"I don't want to know anything about you!" A female voice cried. It was Haku-sensei. She had just broken up with her boyfriend who was also a teacher in the school. She threw him a bottle of sake and ran away. Luka was sleeping soundly regardless of the noise.

"I wonder how she hasn't been fired yet…" Miku said worried. "I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing…"

"Probably a bad thing," Gumi said strictly. Miku smiled uncomfortably. Suddenly, her phone rang.

"Umm… yes?" She answered. "Curried restaurant? Where's that?" She asked surprised. "Umm… okay…" Gumi and Kaito looked at her confused. "Someone invited me to hang out…" Miku explained.

"And who may that someone be?" Kaito smirked. Miku looked away nervously, not wanting to reveal their identity.

-o-o-o-

Just as the person on the phone had said a carriage came to pick Miku up. It was a black and elegant carriage. Miku smiled uncomfortably. She felt as though the dark horses were glaring at her. The "Curried Restaurant" was in some type of abandoned city. In front of it, there was a cemetery and around it there were many large trees. The door cracked as Miku opened it. There was no one there apart from the person that had invited her. She was sitting in a wooden table near the window. Miku sat next to her. The woman looked at her.

"Miku?! What should I do?!" Haku-sensei cried. It was her; the truth is that Miku hadn't told anyone but she was secretly friends with the desperate teacher of the school.

"You should come to school… Haku-sensei…" Miku said uncomfortably.

"Another glass of brandy please…" Haku-sensei yelled.

"Of please, stop that. You are drunk!" Miku shook her.

"I'm not drunk!" Haku-sensei asserted as she drank the brandy in one sip. Miku facepalmed herself. She shouldn't have come here.

"Haku-sensei! If… If you don't listen to me, then I'm leaving!" she said strictly and stood up.

"Wait! I will listen!" Haku-sensei promised and grabbed Miku hand. Miku sighed and sat again.

"So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" she asked concerned.

"It's just that… men always reject me…" Haku-sensei cried.

"You know I can't be much help when it comes to that but…" Miku declared as she looked through the menu.

"But?" Haku-sensei asked hopeful.

"You can always stop chasing after men… like… umm… you could try dating a woman…" Miku said nervously.

"Of course! I get it! I could date _you_!" Haku-sensei affirmed. Miku widened her eyes.

"N… not me!" she yelled. "You are my teacher and… I like someone else…" she blushed.

"I got rejected again…" The older woman cried.

"Of course! What were you thinking asking your student out just like that?" Miku said annoyed. "Geez…"

"But I don't know who else to date…" Haku-sensei whined.

"You just don't go and date anyone! You date someone you are in love with!" Miku stated determinately. Then the waiter came over and she just blushed and looked down. He had probably heard that.

"So Miku's a romantic girl…" Haku-sensei said mischievously.

"It's not like I'm…" Miku blushed.

"You didn't tell me… who you liked…" The older woman smirked.

"If I tell you… do you promise you won't tell anyone?" Miku asked reluctantly. Haku-sensei nodded and Miku leaned over and whispered.

-o-o-o-

"Hatsune Miku! The angelical voice of the school!" Kaito said cheerfully as he jumped around.

"It's not like that…" she blushed. Gumi giggled. It had already been some time since she had last seen Luka. Luka attended the school at night now and no one knew what kind of things were going through her head.

"I'm going upstairs for a moment…" Miku excused herself.

"Wait… what are you going to do there?" Gumi asked curiously. Miku looked away and ran as fast as she could before they started asking more questions. Then she stopped in front of Luka's classroom and panted. There was no one there, fortunately. She entered.

"Next year Luka senpai is graduating… at this rate… I'll never become closer to her…" she said as she slid her hand through the desk's surface; Luka's desk.

"Kyaa!" She gasped. Someone came out of the window. The girl pulled her hood backwards. It was Luka.

"Hatsune Miku!" she stated strictly. "What are you doing in that desk?" she pointed at her.

"L… Luka-senpai?" Miku said, almost feeling grateful. "N… nothing… I was just passing by…"

"Hmph, suspicious. I repeat. What were you doing in that desk?" she went closer to Miku and pushed her towards the wall.

"As I said… I wasn't doing anything there…" Miku looked away.

"Lies. You will tell me! Hatsune Miku!" Luka demanded.

"Geez, Luka-senpai, I don't understand! I wasn't doing anything weird!" Miku exclaimed. Luka glared at her. "I was just passing by…"

"Why did you enter my classroom!?" Luka asked irritated.

"I just thought it was a nice classroom… I didn't even know this was your desk…" Miku blushed.

"Ha! Liar! You just said it! That it was _my _desk!" Luka declared furiously.

"_Oh no!_" Miku thought and covered her mouth in horror.

"This is the end, Hatsune Miku! You will confess!"

"I… I have nothing to confess…" Miku lied. "In any case. What are _you _doing here? I thought you attended classes at night now…"

"Don't change the topic." Luka said decisively and grasped Miku's hand. Miku tried to push her.

"I'm not going to tell you! No matter what you do!" she yelled.

"Oh, so you _are_ hiding something!" Luka smirked. Miku looked at her reluctantly as she blushed and tears started forming in her eyes.

"I… I just missed you!" Miku admitted as she threw herself on the older girl, embracing her. Luka widened her eyes. She froze. "I missed you so…" Miku cried. Luka pushed her for a moment and whipped her tears off with her hands as she looked at her with a worried and guilty expression.

"Ugh… sorry…" she apologized with a hint of red in her cheeks.

"I thought you couldn't stay awake during the day… Did you get cured?" Miku asked concerned upon recovering.

"No… Well, it's just a temporal cure. Let's say that I can stay awake during the day at least once a week when I undergo this therapy," Luka asserted.

"What happened to you, Luka-senpai? I still don't understand…" Miku said confused.

"This is just my mermaid nature," Luka said boldly.

"Mermaid nature?" Miku repeated puzzled.

"Well, my mother was a mermaid… I don't know how but when I entered that cave I started developing more mermaid characteristics…" she explained.

"But Luka-senpai… I still don't understand why you can't stand the daylight…"

"That's because my mother was a cave mermaid… not a very normal mermaid in any case and I'm nocturnal…" Luka told her. Miku looked at her with a distracted expression for a moment. "Miku?" Luka asked worried.

"It's nothing…" she answered. "_Wait, did she just call me 'Miku'?_" She said to herself. "I just remember seeing a mermaid when I was young…" Miku admitted, "_and if I remember correctly it was in that village… back then…"_

When Miku was young she lived in a fishing village somewhere far away from the Shinju forest. Her mother had died when she was young and her father was a fisherman. Not a very common one though. He used to lure the fish with his flute every night and they would come to the shore and jump on his basket on their own. Miku remembered it clearly. After all, she had seen it with her own eyes. Somewhere at that time she had also seen a mermaid…

"_If I remember correctly it was summer night when…"_


	4. Miku in the Train

"Dad, it's so hot in here!" Miku complained as she waved the fan at her face.

"Why don't you go and have a walk outside?" her father suggested.

"Because…" Miku started, "it's even hotter outside!" she pouted. Her father just laughed and patted her head.

"You can go in the afternoon, Miku," he said.

"Umm… that might be a good idea…" she mumbled.

Soon, the sky began getting darker and it was cloudy. Miku put her shoes on and rushed outside. The beach was just next to their house and she didn't have anything special to do. "This is so boring!" she whined as she kicked a small stone. Suddenly, she heard a sound and she looked to where the stone was. She carefully approached the water but didn't see anything, just a shadow. Miku followed the shadow curiously until she realized they had reached a cave that was located under a huge cliff. At least it seemed huge to Miku. She hid behind one of the rocks and peered eagerly at the shadow. Light started illuminating the cave and the shadow emerged from the deep waters. Miku widened her eyes. It was a beautiful woman with straight pink hair and beautiful pale skin as well as a silver fish tale. The creature looked at her and Miku tried to flee as though she expected it to attack her. Then the mermaid spoke.

"Wait, little girl," she stated and Miku looked behind her.

"Wha-what is it?" Miku stammered.

"Can you see me?" the mermaid asked. Miku's expression changed. Now she looked at the mermaid surprised.

"You mean others can't?" she asked curiously.

"They can't," the mermaid smiled. "I sense a supernatural force within you,"

"Supernatural force…?"

Miku opened her eyes widely as she panted. It was that dream again, of when she came across that mermaid in the small fishing village of her father. She still didn't know how she had been able to see her. She stared at the ceiling and turned her bedside lamp on. She looked through the window, it was getting brighter. She decided not to sleep more and went downstairs to wait for breakfast time. There was no one there. The castle seemed empty. Then she heard someone knock the door.

"I'm here to deliver a letter!" a male voice said through the gate. Miku rushed towards it and pulled it with a bit of struggle.

"Good morning," she greeted the man.

"Good morning, this mail is for Hatsune Miku," the man replied.

"Oh, I'm Miku,' she said.

'Here, miss, see you," he bowed and left. Miku closed the gate and opened the letter. It was from her father. She wondered why he didn't just call her. Every time her father did that, something important was to happen. She read:

"Dear Miku,

It has already been a long time since you left the village and as you know I really miss you. There is something important we must talk about and I want you to come here. Recently I talked with a young man named Hiyama Kiyoteru and he offered to take you with him in his voyage to the ancient ruins. I made sure to ask permission from your school as this is a great opportunity for you to learn and have new experiences.

Sincerely,

Your father."

Miku smiled widely and a tear fell down her cheek due to her enthusiasm. "The ancient ruins?!" she said excited. I definitely have to go there. "I'll call dad right now!"

-o-o-o-

"Huh? You will be going on a trip to the ancient ruins?" Gumi said confused.

"Umm… yes…" Miku answered a bit embarrassed.

"Eh? Is that so?" Kaito suddenly joined the conversation.

"Yes, would you like to come with me too?" she suggested to them.

"I'd like to come but I haven't finished the project yet…" Gumi stated. Kaito giggled uncomfortably since he was her pair in the project.

"Oh I see…" she said a bit disappointed.

"Why don't you ask Luka-senpai?" Gumi suggested.

"I will ask her… if I do see her…" Miku answered.

"What happened to her anyways? Is she sick or something?" Kaito asked puzzled.

"Something like that… but not exactly, it's not really a disease…" Miku explained.

"What is it?" Gumi asked.

"I'm sorry, it's not like I'm anyone to talk about this," Miku explained.

"Yes, sorry. But she's okay, right?" Gumi asked. "You will see her again, right?"

"Probably but not as much, I believe…" Miku answered with a rather sad tone.

"Don't you have her phone, Miku-chan?" Kaito asked with a smile.

"Ugh… no…" Miku replied guiltily.

That night as Miku lay on her bed she wondered whether there was a way to reverse Luka's biological clock to how it was before. She disliked the sunlight and wouldn't even be able to stay awake during the day but she wasn't a mermaid yet. However Miku didn't know how much time Luka had left before turning into one, or if she would turn to one at all.

-o-o-o-

It was about time for the vapor train to arrive. Miku hadn't been able to come in contact with Luka but she did leave a letter in her mailbox at school inviting her to come. If Luka happened to read it then she would know where to go, but Miku doubted it because if she was to come she would have been in the station, but she wasn't. The train arrived. It was extremely elegant but just as fast as modern trains. Probably because it was a fake vapor train and even though it looked like one it truly wasn't. Miku would have to stay in the train two nights, though she would have to wake up really early the second one.

The seats were covered with dark red leather and the windows were large. There was a polished wooden desk between the rows of three seats. Miku sat next to the window and waited for the train's departure. A vampire sat in front of her, she knew it because it was normal for people there to be able to recognize them. Of course vampires were not fierce creatures as people believed them to be in other regions. The middle-aged vampire man smiled widely showing his fangs which made Miku smile uncomfortably at him. The ticket collector was a human though, as Miku observed. Suddenly an old appeared out of the blue, startling Miku. She gasped.

"Miss, you've gotten in the wrong train," he declared.

"What… do you mean?" Miku asked confused.

"You are in the wrong way…" he stated.

"But I'm going to my father's village…" Miku tried to explain.

"You are still in the wrong train, you are making a choice that is bound to change your fate forever…" he said and left, disappearing when he opened the door to the next wagon. Miku stared at the door with her eyes wide open for some seconds. The vampire smiled at her again but she didn't give much attention this time.

It had already started to get dark and Miku went to next wagon in order to get some sleep in one of the bunk beds. There was a window and she could see the scenery moving outside as she lay on the bed. The sheets were completely white and smelled a bit oddly. It wasn't an unpleasant smell though; Miku decided it was rather mysterious. Suddenly her phone vibrated. It was a message. She took her phone in her hands and read.

"How are you doing, Miku :DDDD?" was what Gumi had written in there. Miku smiled warmly and clicked on Gumi's name. She put her phone next to her ear.

"Miku?" Gumi said rather surprised.

"Hello, Gumi," Miku said with a smile. "I'm fine, and you?"

"Fine too, you sound very happy, did something happen?" Gumi said and giggled.

"Not really, I was kind of happy you messaged me though!" Miku said cheerfully.

"Of course I would!" Gumi complained in a funny tone. "Well, what are you doing now?" she said more gently.

"I don't know… it's really cool in here. I love the bunk beds in the train!" Miku smiled. Gumi laughed. "But something strange happened…" she said a bit worried.

"What was it?" Gumi asked concerned.

"There was an old man before… and he told me that taking this train would change my fate or something like that…" Miku explained.

"Eh?" Gumi said baffled. "Oh, Miku, don't listen what random old men have to tell you. He might not be even very well on his mind…" Gumi stated.

"You are right… but something about his attitude troubled me so…" Miku said suspiciously.

"Just don't give it much thought, okay?" Gumi assured her.

"I'll try… but I somehow feel like something might happen, something I don't expect at all…" Miku replied a bit afraid as she squeezed her phone in her hand.

That night Miku had a dream. She dreamt of the endless sea and her own body sinking in the depths of it, as though she couldn't swim to the surface…


	5. Miku in the expedition

The train travelled rather slowly in Miku's perspective. She didn't want to go to sleep as it would be really hard to wake up later so she stayed up reading until they arrived at the fishing village. It was dark and just a few people got out of the train along with her. Her house was within walking distance from the station and she walked towards its direction. However, in her way she found a large mysterious tree. She placed her ear on its trunk. "She's coming," a voice whispered. Miku widened her eyes.

"_Could it be referring to Luka-senpai?_" she wondered. In any case that was Miku's secret. She could actually communicate with some trees, but she had never talked about that with anyone rather than her father.

In the morning, when she had had some sleep her father called in the man he had talked to her about. "This is Hiyama Kiyoteru," a tall man with glasses showed up in front of Miku. His smile was somehow mysterious and Miku couldn't help but wonder where he was going to take her.

"Nice to meet you," she bowed.

She had already arrived in her home village and met with her new "mentor" but she sensed that something really unexpected was about to happen.

"Kiyoteru-sensei, where are we going?" she asked as they were together in the beach.

"Just follow me," he smiled. "There is something you must know."

"What do you mean?" Miku asked surprised. However the man didn't answer. Instead he guided her towards a small boat. They both got in and he rode it until they reached the ancient ruins. It was basically a ruined flooded temple in the middle of the beach. It seemed to have Greek influences. Miku stepped out of the boat. The water reached her hips but it was extremely translucent. "What is this place?" she asked.

"This is where you come from… Unfortunately it was destroyed some years ago…" he explained.

"So it wasn't a ruin…" Miku said disappointed. "But… I don't come from here…" she said.

"In a sense no, in a sense yes… There is a reason your father called you here so urgently, I did some research," Kiyoteru-sensei began.

"Wh… what research?" Miku asked hesitantly.

"Sit here," he suggested and she sat next to him in one of the rocks that had been used to build the temple. "Do you know that fairies used to live here?" he asked.

"So… this temple was theirs?" Miku deduced.

"Exactly, thought it wasn't a temple," Kiyoteru-sensei replied. "This is where you were actually born,"

"Ugh, um, how can that be?" Miku shuddered.

"Sometimes, fairies place changelings in the place of a human baby for unknown reasons," he started.

"Are you saying I'm a changeling…?" Miku widened her eyes.

"That's probably true," he stated. "I know this might be a bit sudden but you probably needed to know that you were actually…"

"A fairy?" Miku asked.

"No, fairies wouldn't place a child of their own race as a changeling…" he said with a thoughtful expression.

"So what am I?" Miku asked with a worried.

"A nymph from the woods…" Kiyoteru-sensei replied bodly.

"W- wait… How can you know that in the first place?" Miku asked troubled.

"Well, that's what I deduced from the information your father gave me. Plus, you can communicate with trees, can't you?" he smiled. Miku looked away.

"It's true… I can…" she admitted with a guilty expression.

"There's no need to be sad. I'm sure your father won't change his opinion about you due to that," he patted her head.

"Yes, but how about… the real child?" she queried with a sorrowful expression.

"It was probably… killed…" he answered with the same expression.

At night, they set up a small tent because as her father said Kiyoteru-sensei had to do some type of research and Miku was going to help. She had gone to sleep really late last night though and now she wasn't able to fall asleep. After realizing that she wasn't going to sleep no matter what, she got up and sat in one of the rocks. She moved the legs back and forward, splashing in the water. However, something broke the silence. She quickly took her legs out of the water and looked around her. Unexpectedly, something grabbed her from behind.

"Luka-senpai?" she said when she had the opportunity to look at her.

"I came," Luka replied with a dull expression. Miku's face brightened.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed and threw herself in her arms causing Luka to fall on the water with Miku on top.

"Now you've done it," Luka answered. Miku laughed.

"It's okay, you already were soaked to begin with," she smiled.

"But you were not," Luka looked away. "You'll catch a cold or something,"

"It's fine! I already got wet when I hugged you!" Miku exclaimed with a grin.

"That sounds weird, you know…" Luka mumbled.

"Eh?! I didn't mean it like that!" Miku said in panic. Luka giggled and hugged Miku back.

"I just came because I missed you…" she whispered.

They walked in the beach for hours, holding hands. Luka smiled at Miku warmly, like she had never done before. "I'm so glad we have become friends!" Miku exclaimed.

"Wha…?!" Luka blurted.

"What's wrong, Luka-chan?" Miku asked confused.

"I- I- thought!" Luka tried to explain as she blushed.

"Hm?"

"I thought we were more than just friends!" Luka said angrily. Miku put a finger in her jaw and gave her a thoughtful expression. Slowly though, upon realizing what Luka had just said she began blushing furiously. "What? Miku, answer me!" Luka said concerned.

"Um, what did you say Luka-chan? Did you just say that…?" Miku didn't complete her phrase and looked away nervously.

"Yes, yes! I did!" Luka confessed. "So?"

"Um, okay… we're… more than just friends…" Miku admitted as she looked away.

"Look at me!" Luka demanded.

"But…!" Miku fought but it was too late since Luka turned her head towards herself.

"I like you, Miku… I've liked you for a long time…" Luka said a bit embarrassed.

"I like you too, but…but…"

"Close your eyes," Luka whispered as she leaned closer.

"Geez! Luka-chan, you are you to fast!" Miku exclaimed as she pushed her away. Luka looked at her confused for some seconds and then sighed.

"You think so?" she asked.

"Yes!" Miku scolded her.

"O…okay, I'll wait then," Luka said with a resentful expression. Miku smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek which caused Luka to cheer up quickly.

"Ah, Luka-chan… I forgot that I have to go to sleep now…" Miku said troubled.

"And what am _I_ going to do in the meanwhile?" Luka asked troubled.

"Now that I think of it… I don't have the least idea…" Miku admitted.

"Perfect," Luka replied with a sarcastic tone. "Geez, it's okay. Go to sleep or you'll be reprimanded tomorrow!" she pushed Miku towards the tent.

"Um, but-" Miku began.

"I'll be okay," Luka interrupted her.

"If you say so…" Miku answered thoughtfully. "Good night then," she smiled.

After that Miku would get to see Luka every night after her expeditions until one night, she didn't show up. Miku sat in the beach. There was some grass growing on the sand. She sighed. Luka was so late. She would have normally been here. Of course she could try calling her and that's what she did but she got no answer, whatsoever. She dropped her phone in disappointment, but then suddenly something came to the surface. It was a mermaid. Miku widened her eyes. A giant wave came towards her and pulled her to the depths of the sea.

Later, during the morning, Miku had disappeared too.

"_Huh? Where is Miku-chan?_" Kiyoteru-sensei thought and looked for her all around the village. However, when he returned to the scene of her disappearance, he noticed some mermaid scales lying on the beach.

"_She was taken by the mermaids?"_ he asked himself. "_They only do this when someone gets romantically involved with a mermaid, making her unable to go to the sea…_" he clarified in his mind. "_Was Miku-chan involved with a mermaid?_"

Miku didn't die though because she was a nymph and as she discovered she had the power to live anywhere as long as there was wood to keep her alive. Luckily she ended up somewhere near a ship that had sunk in ancient times. There, she waited for Luka patiently to come and save her as she didn't know how to go back to the surface.


	6. Miku in Luka s heart

One day, as she was sinking deeper in the sea Miku saw something dark on the surface, it seemed like a ship that was travelling. She decided to follow it. She swam fast behind it and placed her hand on the hold. Suddenly she felt something like a seal within her heart break and she was able to stick her head out of the water. She looked up at the people on the ship. Then, a noble man that was walking near saw her and ordered them to stop.

"Are you okay?" he said loudly.

"Um, yes…" Miku responded but he probably didn't hear her. Later, he threw a rope to her and she climbed up to the main deck. "Um, thank you," she said uncomfortably.

"It was nothing," he answered as he put his coat on her shoulders. He was a handsome man with silver shoulder length hair that seemed to be in his early thirties. The castle arrived in a small peninsula. Miku discovered that the man that had helped her (because "save her" is not quite correct) lived in a mansion in the beach. "You can stay in this room as long as you like," he opened the door of one of the rooms and smiled at her. The house had a roman design and it was all around the courtyard forming a rectangle. The bedrooms were on the second floor but the doors were in the outside area that resembled a balcony. Miku had never been to such a place before and she wondered how far from the Shinju Forest she must be.

"Thank you very much for your kindness," she bowed elegantly and the man closed the door behind her slowly. Miku fell on the bed, exhausted. Much time had passed since that event that dragged her to the depths of the sea. Miku assumed it had been around one and a half year, but since she didn't have a calendar there she wouldn't have known. She sighed and closed her eyes. She resented the fact that she wasn't able to finish school…

The days passed and Miku decided to become a street musician to gather some money. Nevertheless it was never able to allow her to leave the mansion and she feared that the nobleman would want her to repay his kindness in some way.

"But I enjoy your company," he said one day as they were eating roasted lobster in the courtyard. The water of the fountain flew calmly.

"I'm glad about that, Roberto-sama… but I think that it's time for me to leave and take care of myself…" Miku declared before taking a sip of water.

"Miku-san… I can… I can make you happy," Roberto confessed with determination in his eyes. By that time he had most likely grown fond of Miku.

One calm night, Miku sat in the border of the street and placed her feet inside the water. She looked at the full moon with a pensive expression in her eyes. It almost seemed like Roberto was going to propose to her if things kept this way. She felt in debt with him but she didn't want to marry him not matter how happy he could make her (but she doubted he could). As she was sitting there she felt something touch her feet.

"_A mermaid?_" Miku thought. Suddenly, a face surfaced. It was a a beautiful pale girl with pink hair that she already knew from somewhere. "Luka?!" she exclaimed. "Is that you, Luka?!"

"Miku!" Luka's face brightened and her tale immediately turned into feet. She rose from the water and took Miku in her arms, squeezing her.

"L-Luka…? I'm not even sure if I'm allowed to call you that anymore…" Miku said sad.

"What's wrong Miku?" Luka asked worried. "You… don't love me anymore?" she queried. Miku looked at her frightened and didn't reply. Whereas she did still love Luka she was afraid to admit it.

"Please, don't pressure me Luka…" Miku said guilty.

"I won't!" Luka answered determinately and caressed Miku's cheek. The girl blushed.

"Ugh, Luka… you can't…" Miku uttered.

"Um, okay," Luka replied with a resentful expression.

"In any case, where did you go Luka? You disappeared. So what do you want now?" Miku asked coldly.

"It's not like it was my fault!" Luka exclaimed. "The other mermaids wouldn't let me leave! It was all their fault… the harp, everything…" Luka said angrily and sat next to Miku.

"W… wait, what do you mean?" Miku asked.

"The harp was cursed. That's why it reacted with my genes and made my mermaid abilities stand out… Mermaids are close to extinction so they don't want to _lose_ anyone of their race…" she explained. "They are selfish creatures…"

"Did they drag you inside the sea?" Miku asked next.

"Yes, but I thought they had done so to you too… I didn't think you would be alive after that…" Luka said with a grieved expression.

"Well, it turns out I'm not really a human either… I'm a nymph of the woods… so... it somehow worked out…" Miku said bashfully.

"Have you managed to cure your day-time sleeping?"

"It has gotten better with the medication…"

"I see… Are the other mermaids still in your way?"

"Yeah… But if we go back to the Shinju forest-"

"I can't go back to the Shinju Forest anymore," Miku answered. "I'm living with a nobleman and, he was so kind to me that I can't just leave that way,"

"Okay, I'll be waiting," Luka gave a cheek kiss to Miku and dived back into the water.

-o-o-o-

One a fine sunny summer day Roberto invited Miku to have a walk in the park. Little did he know that mighty Luka was watching them from afar. Roberto placed his arm around Miku's shoulder, warmly.

"_Is that the nobleman she was talking about?! No way! She's cheating on me with him!?"_ Luka thought angrily as she bit onto her hat (the one she was wearing to go unnoticed). She lowered her sunglasses to see Miku smile embarrassed at the man. Luka growled in jealousy. But then as soon as she saw Roberto getting on his knees her face turned serious.

"Miku-san, will you do the honor to marry me?" he asked as he opened a small box with a beautiful ring inside it. Miku remint silent for some moments.

"I'm sorry but… Roberto-sama, I wouldn't like to marry someone whom I haven't been in a relationship with…" Miku said uncomfortable. Strangely enough though, Roberto's face brightened.

"Then, be my girlfriend, Miku…" he suggested as he stood up and caressed her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Roberto-sama but-"

"No woman has ever rejected my advances. That's why you intrigue me so much," he said as he leaned to kiss her.

"_I won't let you steal Miku's first kiss, you jerk!" _Luka thought to herself and stepped forward just when Miku spoke.

"Roberto-sama, please stop. I already… have a partner…"

"Huh? When? I don't remember you…" Roberto said in confusion.

"It was a long time ago when we made a promise…" Miku replied.

"What does that matter then?" he asked with a smile as he continued to come closer and closer.

"Stop it right there!" Luka's voice was suddenly heard and Roberto averted his sight from Miku to look at her.

"What do you want miss?" he asked with an annoyed look.

"I'm the partner she made a promise with a long time ago, so give her back," she threatened.

"Heh, What do you want? I don't believe you. You are a girl," he claimed.

"So what?" Luka asked angrily.

"Well, even if you are serious, Miku's now mine," he smirked and leaned to kiss her. Miku shut her eyes in fear. Just then she heard a noise and Roberto lay on the ground, wiping off the blood from his lips, indignantly.

"Miku run!" Luka exclaimed and the girl rushed forward. Luka grabbed her hand and they both ran together with Roberto chasing them madly down the streets. Luka, suddenly lifted Miku up and fell onto the water. Roberto looked around angrily without being able to find them. Luka dived under the water and guided Miku under a bridge nearby. Some minutes passed and they heard Roberto's steps as he went back home.

"I'll have to send him money to repay him some day…" Miku said uneasily.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you but, anyway…" Luka replied as she sat in the street, under the bridge. Miku giggled uncomfortably.

"Thank you…" Miku said with a bashful smile.

"I hope you don't think you have to repay me too," Luka said worried.

"No! Of course not!" Miku exclaimed. Luka took her hat off and squeezed it to remove the water.

"Well, I don't want to pressure you like that so, I'll be heading back…" Luka said as she got prepared to dive into the water. Then, Miku took hold of her arm.

"Luka? Where are you going?" Miku asked concerned. "Won't I see you again?"

"You will, come anytime you want, I'll be here…" Luka replied.

"But I thought you… was that… a lie?" Miku asked with teary eyes.

"What?" Luka asked bluntly.

"You said to leave together…" Miku mumbled. Luka widened her eyes.

"I thought you didn't want to be with me anymore…" Luka replied disappointed.

"No, I do! I just felt in debt with Roberto-sama…" Miku tried to explain.

"And what were you going to do to repay him that would prevent you from saying that you love me?" Luka asked angrily. "I bet you liked him," she looked away.

"It's not like that!" Miku exclaimed as she grabbed Luka's arm with her other hand too. "I'd go to him if I wanted to be with him…" Miku explained.

"If I hadn't been there, you would have probably ended up really badly," Luka answered. "Plus, you also said that you loved me and even though didn't want to kiss me, so what tells me you didn't like that Roberto?"

"Luka, please believe me!" Miku pleaded. "Don't leave me again, Luka!"

"I…" Luka began. She sighed and backed off from the water. Miku looked up at her. "Don't cry," Luka said strictly. "It was really cold of you not to say anything when I asked whether you loved me just because of Roberto-sama," she said his name in a mocking tone. "Now Miku? Do you feel you know me enough well? Or will you back off again if I try to touch you?" Luka asked a bit annoyed.

"I won't! You are the only one I want to kiss!" Miku exclaimed. Luka blushed lightly.

"I would kiss you but I won't, because you might be saying that because you are scared…" Luka admitted.

"I'm not…" Miku said sad. "I missed you… of course I'd want to…"

"Don't be sorry later. Are you sure?" Luka warned her.

"Yes," Miku nodded and closed her eyes. Luka took her face in her hands and slowly placed her lips on hers. Miku wrapped her arms around Luka and they deepened their kiss. Luka retreated and caressed Miku's sides as she kissed her forehead. Then, Miku pushed her back.

"What now?" Luka asked annoyed but Miku didn't answer instead she looked at Luka with her face bright red. "Um, what's wrong?" Luka asked puzzled. Then, Miku began shaking her head rapidly more and more. "What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" Luka scolded her.

"I think I'm having and ecstasy…" Miku said with a shy smile.

"Your face is hot…" Luka admitted when she touched her forehead. She leaned to kiss Miku again.

"No more! You are going to kill me, Luka!" Miku exclaimed and broke into laugher.

"I don't care, geez," Luka said and kissed her. However when she did that Miku sat on her lap and responded eagerly. So much so, that Luka was left without breath. "You went a bit overboard…" Luka said. Miku didn't respond and rubbed her body on Luka's making the later blush intensely and pat her head to make Miku relax. "Tomorrow, we're going back to the Shinju Forest… I don't like this place; there are too many humans here- Hey! What are you doing?!" she exclaimed as Miku kissed her neck and bit gently onto it. "Miku, cut it out,"

"It's your fault, Luka. Bear with it, mn… you are so tasty…" Miku smiled.

"G-geez…" Luka said flustered.

"Luka… are you still mad at me?" Miku looked at her with puppy eyes.

"N-no, I'm not. Okay?" Luka said with a serious tone.

"But… you are not being sweet at all…" Miku complained. Luka caressed her back and then stroked her head.

"I'm not mad, okay, my love?" She smiled a bit uncomfortably. Miku blushed and squeezed her.

"H-hey! I can't breathe if you- ah! It hurts, don't squeeze me!" Luka whined.

"Sorry… I got carried away…" Miku said and giggled.

* * *

**This is the last chapter. ****I hope you liked it. I might do an afterward some day but for now it´s complete :)I wrote this chapter based on my summer in Spain two years ago. Not exactly, but I went to a house with that kind of style and I remember feeling very uncomfortable because I didn't know anyone there (though the village where I was wasn't in the beach).  
Also the last part gives a hint as to what I'm going to write in my next story.  
**

**~I hope you have a nice day~**


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